


Going Faster than the Beating of My Heart

by aroundu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: ...Kinda, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, note passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 16:28:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21200660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroundu/pseuds/aroundu
Summary: If simple things- like erasing something in your notes, and instead of an eraser working as it should, it screeched against the page and left a gigantic gray smear in its wake- were to happen on a seemingly daily basis, then what point was there in life?





	Going Faster than the Beating of My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to J who is such a wonderful beta I couldn't do this without her :,) pls enjoy the midohina

Midori wanted to curl up somewhere and die. Eternal slumber, a date with death, permanent vacation to hell, whatever you call it. He wanted this more than words can describe, and the deep frown ingrained on his face, surely ruining his supposed ‘handsome’ face, presented those deep desires. 

If simple things- like erasing something in your notes, and instead of an eraser working as it should, it screeched against the page and left a gigantic gray smear in its wake- were to happen on a seemingly daily basis, then what point was there in life?

The obnoxious noise made everyone in the class turn and stare at him. Midori couldn’t blame them, the current lecture about triangle congruence wasn’t something of interest to a room full of idols, but he wished they ignored hearing anything, or at least looked away and didn’t keep staring after checking to see what the noise was. 

Midori set his cursed pencil down and reached for another one in his pencil bag-

….His pencil bag ...which he left at home that morning. 

Oh right, the reason he was using a trashy wooden pencil was because it was the only one he found in his bag and he couldn’t be bothered to ask anyone else for one.

A sigh pushed itself passed Midori’s lips, an action that would earn him a lecture from Morisawa-senpai. He stared in defeat at the disgusting little wooden pencil that was the only thing he could take notes with. More importantly, the only thing he could continue to doodle in the margins of his notebook with.

Tapping fingers at the front of Midori’s desk made him lift his head up to see one Hinata Aoi smiling at him. Midori’s mouth opened in a question silenced by Hinata placing something on his desk.

A pink mechanical pencil with a clean eraser. 

Midori regarded the pencil with furrowed brows, but before Midori could do anything, Hinata already turned back around in his chair.

Midori picked up the pencil, lead shaking within it, and flipped it around to erase the smudge marks. 

* * *

“Hinata-kun.” 

Class ended a few minutes ago and Midori took his time packing his stuff, dreading the gruesome Ryuseitai practice that Tetora had already ran off to. Hinata lagged behind too, his notebooks left untouched as he typed away on his phone- though he looked up when Midori called his name.

“What’s up, Midori-kun?” he asked. 

“Your pencil. I don’t want to be that guy that doesn’t return pencils,” he held the pencil out. “So here.”

Hinata glimpsed at the pencil with pursed lips then raised his eyes to meet Midori’s. Hands enclosed around Midori’s holding the pencil out. Hinata’s hands were soft and his nails were trimmed even, although they had faded nail polish on them yet to be taken off.

“I’ve given you this pencil and I expect you to keep it and raise it.”

Midori looked at their hands, looked at Hinata staring into his eyes, looked back at their hands.

“Um. Is this just a weird way of telling me to keep the pencil?” Midori tugged at his hand.

Hinata laughed and let go. “Yeah, you can keep it! I’ve got plenty and I’d hate for you to feel embarrassed in class again, you can leave stuff like that to me, Midori-kun.”

Midori assessed Hinata. The unit leader of 2wink always cracked joked and played pranks, yet Midori was caught on how authentic he sounded. He was always doing stuff like this though, wasn’t he? For as much of a popular class clown he was, he always offered help and support to anyone who asked, even if his ways of helping could be eccentric.

Hinata sent him a wink with a grin and as he resumed typing on his phone, he began to hum a song- one of his unit’s songs if Midori wasn’t mistaken. 

Midori dreaded going to practice. It’d be best to show up on time or else Morisawa would chase him around and he’s an annoying guy to outrun. With Midori’s body and athleticism it was easy, but it would be way too much of a bother. He packed his school supplies, and kept special care to place the pink pencil into a zipped pocket in his backpack. Though he and Hinata were hardly friends, he still felt like he’d be betraying the twin’s trust if he was negligent with the pencil. 

A pencil. A mechanical pencil full of lead and a perfect eraser that Midori was now the proud father of.

* * *

A note.

Midori’s never gotten a note in class before, and now one rested on top of his desk, folded up to conceal any words written on it. He watched Hinata reach an arm backwards and plop it onto his desk in the middle of the lesson.

A note from Hinata. Or maybe not a note… a prank? If Midori opened it, would it somehow trigger a bucket of water to appear over his head and wash him away?

With how Kunugi was dragging on this lesson, Midori didn’t even care if something like that happened. So, he picked up the note and opened it.

There’s no words on it, but there are 4 lines forming a tic tac toe board. Midori flipped the paper over and looked for anything else, but the game board was the only thing scribbled on the paper.

Midori raised his head from the paper and saw Hinata looking over his shoulder holding a pencil to his lips, lips that curled into a smile when the two met eyes. Seconds passed by and neither moved until Hinata pointedly looked at the note and back up at Midori. Midori’s face must’ve looked grim, because Hinata’s smile fell and he turned back around with slumped shoulders.

Playing games and passing notes in class was a big pain. It wasn’t worth the risk of getting caught and being yelled at so Midori actively avoided anything troublesome. Yet, there was something of an ache in Midori’s chest. He glanced at Kunugi who had turned his back as he wrote on the chalkboard. Really, there was no risk here and it wouldn’t hurt to just play one game.

Midori also felt uncomfortable at the thought that Hinata may not talk to him if he didn’t return the note. His back was turned so Midori couldn’t see his face, but his head rested on an elbow and he didn’t even bother writing any notes. 

He didn’t put any thought into his move, it’s just tic tac toe after all. He put a circle in the top left corner and folded the paper back up. He leaned over in his seat and tapped his fingers against the back of Hinata’s blazer. The twin jumped in his seat and turned around to Midori’s outstretched hand with the note. Hinata’s eyes lit up and he snatched it out of Midori’s hand in a flash.

Hinata’s leg jumped up and down and Midori saw him twirling his pencil on his fingertips as he examined the paper. Midori sighed in relief. He was glad that Hinata was now visibly more energetic than the dejection he showed earlier.

Hinata’s arm reached behind him and placed the note on top of his desk. Midori opened it up. An x mark had taken the middle of the board along with the message,

‘_A normie move to go for the corner Midorin’. _

Midori’s mouth broke into the tiniest of smiles. _ Midorin _. How lame, yet Midori’s cheek were warm. 

‘_You say that yet you went for the middle_,’ he wrote and drew a circle in the top right corner of the board.

The first game was a draw and the next few after that were as well. Hinata scraped by with a single victory by the time the bell rang and classes broke for lunch. Midori held the paper of Hinata’s win in his hands and sighed in defeat. The other looked up at him with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“Since I won I get a prize don’t I?”

“Ah… I don’t have anything that could be a prize,” Midori mumbled. Hinata tilted his head with a hum and brought his hand under his chin

“I could be like a classic bully and steal your lunch.” Hinata held his hands out expectantly, his eyes glancing to the bento on Midori’s desk. Midori hesitated. The pair hadn’t agreed to any terms if someone won, it had been harmless note passing. Although, if he skipped lunch then it will help him stop growing, which was the biggest positive in this situation.

Hinata’s eyes moved past Midori to the entrance to the classroom. Midori turned around and saw Hinata’s brother walking through the doorway and towards Hinata. His normally blank expression was distorted by narrowed eyes and a frown.

“Aniki, stop trying to scam people.” Yuuta grabbed Hinata’s arm. “I’m sorry if he was bugging you, Midori-kun,” he said and began tugging his brother away.

“See ya, Midorin!” Hinata smiled sheepishly. He elbowed Yuuta to get out of his grip and continued walking beside him.

“Um, wait. Hinata-kun, here.” Midori held out his bento. Hinata paused in his step and his eyes widened. He reached a hand out that was smacked away from Yuuta.

“Wha- Yuuta-kun! I won that fair and square, you know?!” Hinata protested. Yuuta sighed and his frown deepened on his face and his mouth opened to speak but-

“He’s telling the truth, Yuuta-kun. Here. I don’t want to get any taller so it’s really no issue for me to not eat lunch today,” Midori said and again held his lunch out. Hinata glanced at Yuuta and some silent communication must have taken place because a few seconds later Yuuta sighed and Hinata grabbed the bento from Midori.

“Thank you~ Though should I be thanking you? This is my prize after all,” Hinata joked. Yuuta rolled his eyes and began guiding Hinata towards the door once again. 

Midori didn’t respond because the twins already out of the room.. Midori hoped what Yuuta said wasn’t true. If Hinata had been scamming Midori out of his lunch by playing tic tac toe, then that means their game playing hadn’t been genuine. And for some reason, that didn’t sit right with Midori. He didn’t care about getting dragged into troublesome things, and it was so easy to get caught passing notes, but he felt betrayed if Hinata wasn’t playing for fun.

Hinata’s smile when Midori returned his note entered his mind. It was big enough to crinkle his eyes and thinking about it filled Midori’s chest with a warmth like stepping outside into the sun. A smile like that…. Midori would hope it was honest and trust in that.

* * *

“Midori-kun.”

It was the next day, and this time Hinata was the one waiting for Midori after class. 

Hinata ran a hand through his hair, stopping at the end of a strand and curling his fingers around it. He held an envelope to his chest in his other hand and his fingers tightened around it when Midori’s gaze hovered on it.

Surely ...this couldn’t be what he thought it was ...there was no way. 

A confession?

Midori’s heart began to race as he sucked in a breath. This was all moving too fast! They had really just became friends a few days ago hadn’t they? When Hinata gifted Midori the pencil? The only other interactions they had were casual classmate conversations and small talk. A few lunches here and there, but one or two other people from 1-A would be present too. Each time though, Hinata did sit next to Midori. Oh man, had Midori been blind to flirting this whole time? This is too much.

“What’s up, Hinata-kun?” Midori rubbed his sweaty palms against the side of his pants. Hinata rubbed a hand through his hair again and looked to the side, avoiding Midori’s eyes.

“Welllll, I felt bad about taking your lunch. So I figured I should do something to make up for it and so,” Hinata bit his lip as he paused and held the envelope forward. “Here. It’s not that good, but I hope you like it”

Midori’s heart was in his throat. He grabbed the envelope from Hinata’s shaking hand. He looked at it and his face felt hotter thinking about the words Hinata had written into the confession. Midori couldn’t open this, he felt way too overwhelmed, but Hinata’s eyes dug into him. He considered running away, but that would give off the totally wrong impression. 

“Uh. Um. Hinata-kun, I …” Midori raised a palm to his forehead. He had no idea what to say. It would be easy to turn Hinata down and say it was too sudden and he wasn’t ready, but a little voice in Midori’s head begged him to say yes. Not a little voice, a big voice. He wanted to say yes. 

Hinata’s hand was still grabbing onto the ends of his hair so Midori reached out with a small shake in his hand and grabbed Hinata’s hand. Hinata’s eyes widened and his cheeks reddened.

“Midori-kun? What are-”

“I don’t need to read this,” Midori set the envelope down on his desk. “I know what I’m going to say and it’s yes.” He reached for Hinata’s other hand and held both of them in front of him. His heart beat like crazy and it felt like at any moment he could pass out, but he stood strong because this may be the only thing he’s had motivation for.

“Yes? Haha, yes to what exactly?” Hinata’s laughter was strained. His cheeks had turned a darker shade of red and Midori felt how clammy his hands had become, though this could be his own.

“I’m accepting your confession.”

Hinata’s mouth dropped open and a startled noise escaped from it. His hands tightened around Midori’s, making a nervous smile appear on Midori’s face. Wow… this was great.

“Oh my god.”

“I’m surprised too.”

“No. Midori-kun. I- That wasn’t a confession letter.”

Midori blinked. He looked at their joined hands, to Hinata’s flushed face, to the envelope on the desk. He blinked again. And again. And again.

He didn’t say anything when he let go of Hinata’s hands, nor when he grabbed his backpack and tossed his notebooks in it with no real thought. He was about to grab the handle and sling it over his shoulder when a hand rested on his. Midori’s autopilot was interrupted by Hinata stepping into his personal space and peering up at him.

“I didn’t mean for it to seem like I was confessing, but you do make me really nervous, Midori-kun.” His fingers wiggled through Midori’s and intertwined themselves. “I like you. Like. I _ like _like you. That’s a lot of likes. But it’s because I like you a lot.” He leaned closer, inches away from touching Midori. “Please say something so I don’t keep saying like.”

Midori couldn’t form words. The absurdity of the situation hitting him in waves. Hinata wasn’t actually confessing, so in a way Midori confessed? And Hinata just accepted that confession.

Hinata accepted his backwards confession. 

“So you. I. We,” Midori stumbled over his words. Hinata’s shoulders shook with laughter that was music to Midori’s ears. He closed the distance between them with a single step and wrapped his arms around Midori in a hug, his head resting on Midori’s chest and looking up at him with a smile that crinkled his eyes and scrunched his nose.

“Midorin~ Sorry for the misunderstanding, but let’s take advantage of this opportunity!”

“I’d, um. That would be nice,” Midori mumbled. He physically felt embarrassment pumping through his bloodstream, but that didn’t compare to the warmth of Hinata hugging him. He took a deep breath to vanquish the negative thoughts from his mind. This was good. He’s alright, and Hinata was right here with him and…. They liked each other.

“See? It’s all okay. Isn’t this exciting? Look how we can,” Hinata unlatched from Midori and grabbed his hand again, this time wasting no time intertwining their fingers, a feat made easier by the fact that Midori was actually responsive this time. “We can do stuff like this!”

A smile worked itself onto Midori’s face and in return Hinata’s eyes shone, the vibrant green pulling him in. Midori felt happy, but now that he calmed down, there was a single question on his mind.

“So, what’s exactly in the envelope?” Midori asked. Hinata only replied with a wink and picked it up from the desk. He handed it to Midori as if wordlessly saying _ ‘open it to find out _’.

Midori unclasped from Hinata’s hand and carefully ripped open the seal to the envelope. He pulled out a piece of paper from inside and when he laid eyes on it and Midori’s smile deepened.

A drawing of a collection of mascot characters. All pencil sketches, but the lines were deep and some had shading. It was an assortment, though all taken from the keychains Midori kept on his backpack, and his heart fluttered at the thought that Hinata paid enough attention to know which were his favorites.

He set the drawing down and took a second to admire Hinata. The angular shape of his eyes, the softness in his face, orange hair framing his face. For all his talk of being mischievous, Hinata was responsible when it mattered. Leading a unit as a first year was no easy task, but 2wink was getting more known each day and it spoke volumes to the hard work both twins put in. 

“I like like you a lot too, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata puffed his cheeks out in a pout. “It’s hardly fair for you to make fun of me when you’re the one who-”

“Okay, okay. I get it, don’t go for such a low blow,” Midori laughed, his cheeks tinting red thinking of how he fumbled such a huge misunderstanding. 

“Glad to know we’re on the same page, Midorin.” Hinata grabbed his bag off his seat. “I have to go to practice, but I’m gonna text you a bunch later.” 

Midori picked up his own bag. “I’ll look forward to that.”

Hinata said goodbye and parted with a quick hug. Midori didn’t have unit practice, and his basketball practice had been cancelled. Today was a good day, and for his entire walk home, Midori’s smile never left his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! There's not enough midohina I wanted to change that,,  
Here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/AOlHlNATA) where i am Always down to talk about the twins and their bfs..


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